Erikson Institute

Erikson Institute will host two national forums to form an alliance for media literacy in early childhood. The forums will bring together national leaders and practitioners from libraries, museums, schools, and community-based early childhood programs. Working with partners that include the Association for Library Service to Children, the Association of Children's Museums, and the National Association for Media Literacy Education, the lead organizations and forum participants will develop plans to implement promising practices around media literacy for families with children, from birth to age 5. They will address the lack of consensus about what media literacy education means, what media literacy experiences in both informal and formal early childhood settings should look like, and how to empower parents as media literacy role models and mentors. Alliance members will collaborate on strategies and resources to develop adult capacity to help children build the media literacy skills they need to be full participants in our society.